


And we will put the lonesome on the shelf

by BrilliantlyHorrid



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Ace Peterson is adorable, F/M, Fluff, Movie nights and family breakfasts, Parental Skye and Coulson, SO MUCH FLUFF, Super secret agents getting domestic for a bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 04:50:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3923551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrilliantlyHorrid/pseuds/BrilliantlyHorrid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye returns to the Playground after a few months of solitude, but she brings an interesting visitor with her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And we will put the lonesome on the shelf

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this thing literally forever, and it's been jossed approximately 8 billion times. So I'm getting it in before tomorrow's possibly soul-crushing season finale.

It was safe to say that Phil Coulson was surprised and elated to look up at the monitor and see Skye standing at the perimeter of the Playground, waiting to be let inside.

It was also safe to say that he was surprised and _confused_ to see the young man standing next to her.

Giving his approval for the security team to let them in, Phil straightened his tie before exiting the office. Meeting her in the hallway of the base, Coulson worked on settling his nerves. It had been months since he’d seen Skye (four months, 2 days, if you were counting,) but given the audience, outward displays of affection would have to wait. She looked wonderful, though. Confident, content, far better than the nervous, haunted woman he'd parted ways with. Again. After they had _just_ been reunited. She’d said she needed time, after everything with the Inhumans and her parents, and it looked like she’d taken it.

Stopping in front of her, fighting to contain a surely ridiculous smile, Coulson nodded at her. “Skye.”

Skye made no such effort to hold back, grinning widely. “Coulson,” she mimicked him, deepening her voice and copying his posture. Her companion laughed.

Sending Skye a look that clearly said, ‘ _We’re going to need to talk about this later_ ,’ Coulson turned to the boy. “Hi Ace,” he said, smiling warmly, “it’s nice to see you again.” Ace Peterson smiled shyly, squeezing Skye’s hand. “Do you want a tour? We call it the 'Playground,' but unfortunately it’s not...you’ll see.” The little boy nodded enthusiastically, his eyes darting around to the SHIELD agents walking through the halls. Phil suspected that, at this point, not much would faze Ace Peterson. So, would it be wise to show him around a secret military base? Maybe not. But honestly, how much could it hurt? Gesturing down the hall he let Skye lead the way, reaching over to grab the battered floral bag she had slung over her shoulder. She sent him a grateful look, following the boy who was now tugging quite insistently at her hand.

“Skye, did you see that? You guys have RC cars here?”

Skye raised an eyebrow. “Mack?”

Coulson smiled. “Fitz, actually. Come on, Ace. We’ll show you around and then Agent Fitz can show you his toy car while I talk to Skye, okay?”

***

“So, that was unexpected,” Coulson quipped, walking up the stairs to his office. He could practically hear Skye roll her eyes behind him. After giving Ace a brief tour of the non-weapon focused areas of the Playground, the two had dropped him off in the garage with Fitz and Mack so he could play with the upgraded (or, well, downgraded really,) toy Lola. The changes had been a sort of conciliatory gesture from Mack, not just to Coulson but Fitz as well. They had worked on it together, removing the more deceptive qualities and using it instead to work on possible future vehicle modifications Fitz was developing.

Coulson wasn’t sure how _fully functional_ it was now, having taken a thorough look at the car himself. When he pressed the button that should have activated the thrusters, it made a _whooshing_ noise that sounded eerily like the TARDIS. Mack had sighed, but held back any remarks as Fitz grinned. Another concession, it looked like.

Coulson leaned back against his desk as Skye closed the office door behind her. Grabbing the remote, he switched his monitor to the surveillance camera in the garage, watching Fitz instruct Ace how to operate the car. Seeing Fitz get flustered and flinch as Ace drove mini Lola into a table leg, then into Mack’s foot, Coulson shook his head a bit, amused. Distracted as he was by the spectacle on the screen, he nearly jumped feeling two arms wrap themselves tightly around his ribcage.

Moving in response, Coulson returned the hug somewhat awkwardly. The low position of Skye’s arms didn’t leave him much room to maneuver with, resulting in both of his hands somehow landing in her hair. He couldn’t be bothered to care though, finally realizing that she was back. Part of him wanted to pull back and take a good look at her, as if to make sure that it really was Skye, but between her tight grip on him and his arms that were now basically cradling her head to his chest, he decided to simply rest his chin on her hair and enjoy it.

It had been a long few months without her.

Feeling Skye exhale a warm, deep breath against his chest, Coulson finally pulled himself together enough to clear his throat and get back to business. It had nothing to do with the goosebumps that had appeared out of the blue, of course. Taking the hint, Skye withdrew. Straightening his spine, Coulson pointed to the monitor. “So, Ace Peterson?” There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask, and would ask. But this one was a doozy.

“His Aunt Mindy is having surgery. Minor,” Skye clarified, taking a seat on top of her old desk. “She needs a few days for some R&R, sans energetic 8-year-old running around.” Her eyes moved to the screen and she watched Ace fondly. Coulson pushed away the curious ache in his chest.

“You saw Mike?” Phil had to admit, that was not something he foresaw with Skye’s journey. _Mike didn’t mention it either_ , he thought, feeling a bit hurt.

Skye nodded, looking away from the screen. “When I came back after... we talked for a bit,” she told him. “He said if I ever wanted to talk about it…”

“You knew how to find him.”

“I thought I should take it easy, not throw myself back into this place just to make sure I wouldn’t kill everyone,” she said casually. Phil winced, but nodded in understanding. “I figured Mike would be a good choice. Solitary, discrete. Him having super strength didn’t exactly hurt, and you know, I knew he would understand.”

Coulson grimaced slightly, recalling Mike’s trauma and how Skye could now relate to that. After he had tried to avoid it, avoid her being overtaken by something unknown inside of her.

Skye continued. “According to your logs he was taking some recovery time out east, so…”

Phil nodded, glad he had decided to give Skye access to the intel while she was on the road. Apart from the director missing the woman herself, SHIELD was also missing one of its best strategists, during kind of a crazy time.

“He let me crash with him for a week. The timing worked out, it was a couple weeks before Mindy’s operation, so...” She trailed off, looking pensive. “He would have watched him, but he’s still…”

 _Worried_. He understood.

“It went well, talking to Mike?” He asked instead.

Skye looked thoughtful, picking up one of Coulson’s pens and fiddling with it between her fingers. “Yeah, it did. You know what he told me? He said that he was given strength, and forced to do terrible things to keep the people he loves safe,” she shook her head lightly, as if dislodging the memories of what had been done to Mike. “And he said that I was given this, and to keep the people I love safe, I need to do something great.”

“Control it,” Coulson answered, and Skye tilted her head, unsatisfied.

“Use it. To protect people.” She looked up at him then, eye dry, but wide and painfully earnest. “That’s all I ever really wanted to do, you know?” Her voice shook a bit, and Coulson put a hand on her arm.

“I know.”

Skye exhaled, and smiled a bit. Coulson removed his hand awkwardly, placing it in his pocket.

He really had missed her. She moved toward the door, casting a pitying look at the screen. “I should check on Ace, before Fitz and Mack’s toys get broken.”

“Skye,” Coulson called, causing her to turn back around. She looked at him questioningly. “You seem...better,” he finished, shrugging.

Skye smiled softly. “I am.” Coulson let out a sigh of relief, and Skye rolled her eyes. “We’ll talk later?”

***

It wasn’t that Coulson was following Skye around the base, _per se_ , he just wanted to make sure she was adjusting okay. And Ace was doing well. And she was going to stay. So he just decided to check in occasionally. Doing what he had thought would be impossible, Skye managed to find numerous activities to keep Ace entertained without causing any damage to the base or putting him in harm’s way. There were a lot of scientists, tech and harried SHIELD agents across the Playground, so the Director had to be sure the little boy was being attended to at all times.

To his surprise (but not really,) Skye seemed to be managing that just fine on her own.

Along with his clothes and toiletries, Ace also brought along a bag full of toys. The Avengers toys, to be exact. Walking through the halls, Coulson saw the two of them, Ace and Skye sitting on the floor in a quiet common room, away from the main action of the base. They seemed to be acting out some sort of fight. He stood in the doorway, amused for a bit, containing a chuckle when Skye lowered her voice to play Thor.

“Hear this, green man,” Skye announced dramatically, and Ace laughed, making the Hulk figure wave his fists. “I am the son of Odin, and I will not be made a fool of!” She moved the doll over, Mjolnir raised in the air. Suddenly, she pointed Thor’s mighty fist at the door. “And _you,_ Son of Coul,” she called, startling Coulson. Returning to her own voice, Skye raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to join in or lurk in the hall all day?” Ace nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah, we need more people!” He grabbed the Black Widow and Hawkeye figures by their legs, but kept the Hulk cradled under his arm. Clearly he had a favorite.

“You can be Captain America,” Skye said, all sing-song, waving the Steve Rogers figure in the air. Giving up his position by the door, Coulson sent her a look that was as Director-ly as he could muster. “Come on, AC,” she whined, playing it up for Ace.

“Yeah, come on, AC.”

Coulson’s eyebrows shot up, and he gestured to Ace. “See the influence you’re having?” He asked, and Skye rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, are you going to play or not?” She looked at him encouragingly, and Phil would be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted. There was a lull in paperwork and no one would miss him for a bit, he could easily just sit on the floor with the two of them and be silly for a while.

 _Except I can’t._ Looking down at his suit and shoes, his tie feeling more constraining than usual, Coulson imagine the picture he would make. He would look ridiculous, and it shouldn’t matter but it did. Clearing his throat, he looked at them apologetically, and Skye’s face fell, almost imperceptibly.   _I didn’t even have to open my mouth_ , he realized. “I’m afraid I’ll have to pass this round, I’ve got to get back to the office.”

“Mmmhmm,” Skye murmured, clearly not buying it, but not pushing. “It’s okay, Ace and I are having plenty of fun, right?”

Ace looked disappointed, and Coulson thought he just might change his mind looking down at those gigantic brown eyes of his. _Resist_ , he told himself, determined not to be swayed by _The Cute_.

“Right,” Ace sighed, and Skye shot Coulson a look before putting the Captain America doll back on the floor.

Coulson sighed.

“But I think I know where your Avengers could get their own plane.”

Two surprised faces shot up and Coulson tried not to let the luminous smile on Skye’s face blind him.

***

Later that night, Coulson heard a light knock on his office door. Checking the time, he grimaced. He had worked through dinner again. “Come in,” he called, sitting up straight in his chair and feeling his back crack.

Skye walked in, Ace in tow. “Hey,” she said, waving, and Phil waved back. “So, I need to take a shower, can this guy hang with you for a bit?” The director blinked for a second too long before nodding and gesturing to around the office.

“Of course, make yourself at home,” he told Ace, who seemed fascinated by the old room.

“Great, thanks,” Skye said, ruffling the boy’s curly hair affectionately. “Behave,” she said sternly, and Ace rolled his eyes.

“I will,” he sighed, in a tone far too old for a kid his age.

“Wasn’t talking to you,” Skye called behind her, walking out the door.

“Hey--” Coulson objected, too late. She was gone. “So,” he said, looking over at Ace.

The little boy shrugged.

Unfortunately Phil still had some work to do, but Ace was fine with sitting tight. _He’s probably tired_ , Coulson thought, noting the time and the long day the he’d had. “You can sit on the couch if you want,” he said kindly, but Ace shook his head. He sat in the chair directly across from Coulson’s desk, and the director had to admit it was slightly unnerving. Flipping through the remaining pages, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Are you friends with my dad?”

Coulson looked up and saw Ace watching him curiously. “I like to think so, yes,” he answered. Seeming satisfied, Ace nodded. Phil looked back down to his work.

“What does ‘AC’ stand for?”

Coulson sighed, but smiled. Trying to seem more like a friend of the boy’s father than the head of the secret organization that caused the whole mess. “It’s for ‘Agent Coulson.’ When you work in SHIELD, you’re ‘Agent.’ Like how your teachers are Mr. or Ms. or Mrs.,” he explained, and Ace nodded.

“So your last name is Coulson?” He asked, not questioning Skye’s abbreviated nickname.  _Or the fact that I'm not really an 'Agent' right now._

“Yes,” Coulson answered, wondering if they’d leave it at that.

“Skye said she doesn’t have a last name, so that’s why everyone calls her Skye.”

 _Didn’t see that one coming_ , Phil thought, surprised. “Right, she’s an agent, but we call her by her first name. So she’s ‘Agent Skye’ for work.”

“What’s your first name?” Ace asked, and Coulson smiled ruefully. That, he had expected.

“Phil,” he replied, and Ace just nodded, looking around the office. When his wide, expectant eyes met Coulson’s again, the older man just sighed. “Yes, you can call me Phil.”

***

The next day, Coulson came upon Skye, Ace and Hunter in the kitchen.

“Well can I tell him about--”

“ _No_ ,” Skye said firmly, and Hunter groaned.

“You’re not letting me tell any of my best stories, you are robbing everyone of a great experience,” he lamented, and Skye rolled her eyes.

“Pretty sure I’m saving his dad and aunt from having to answer whatever terrible questions he’d have after listening to you,” she replied, placing a plate of peanut butter toast in front of Ace. She had put banana slices in the shape of smiley faces on each piece. Ace thanked her, then saw Coulson.

“Hi Phil!” His voice was chipper, while both Skye and Hunter whipped their heads around in his direction.

Hunter turned to Skye and mouthed ‘ _Phil_?’ silently, and she shrugged, looking baffled.

 _I hardly think that’s necessary_ , Coulson thought, slightly offended by their apparent shock. Catching his face, Skye schooled her own into a cheerful smile.

“Toast?” She asked, gesturing toward the toaster and the bag of bread on the counter. Coulson’s first inclination was to say ‘ _No thank you_ ,’ as usual, but given their reactions just then, he changed his mind.

“Sure, thank you,” he answered, and sure enough he saw the ex-mercenary’s eyes widen. Messing with Hunter was always a good time. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Coulson heard Skye place bread in the toaster. “Coffee?” He asked, turning around, and she handed him her empty mug.

Letting the coffee machine do its work, Coulson looked over to Ace, who was eating his breakfast contentedly, then Hunter.

Who was staring.

And _smiling_.

_That’s disturbing._

“Is there something you need, Agent Hunter?” Coulson asked, not trusting the look on the other man’s face. Hunter shrugged, sipping from his own mug.

“Not a thing, Sir,” he replied. “I think I’ll be going to the range now though, enjoy your breakfast, you lot!” He waved over at Ace, who waved back, and Skye, who ignored him, before exiting the kitchen. Shaking his head, Coulson poured the coffee, brought both mugs to the table and sat down across from Ace.

“What’s your plan today?”

The kid put down the glass of orange juice he’d been drinking and looked up at Coulson, who noticed he had a small piece of orange pulp on his nose. _That cup is as big as his face_ , he thought, but obviously they didn’t exactly stock up on child-friendly glassware. “Skye said she’d show me one of the planes you have. She said it’s the real version of the toy you let us play with yesterday.”

Coulson raised an eyebrow at the word ‘toy,’ but held back. “The quinjet? You’ll like it, the real one is newer than the one you saw yesterday. Much shinier. And, you know, bigger.” A plate of toast was slid in front of Coulson. Banana smiley faces. Skye reached over and wiped the pulp off of Ace’s nose with her thumb.

“If you’re really good you can fly it,” she told him, and his eyes lit up. Simmons walked in with Bobbi at that moment, greeting an extremely excited Ace.

“I know you’re saying that to rile me up,” Coulson told Skye quietly, “but you’re the one that’s going to have to disappoint him when you tell him you’re joking.”

“Who says I’m joking?”

 _She_ is _joking. Right?_

***

Skye _was_ joking, of course. She _did_ let Ace sit in the pilot’s seat however, but the plane was obviously not running. That seemed to be good enough for him, so after she let him press a few buttons (again, _not running_ ,) he seemed okay with the fact that they weren’t going airborne. Skye was having a lot of fun with Ace, but she had to admit that it could be pretty exhausting. Reaching the end of day two and she was already pooped and running out of ways to entertain the kid. It was great, and Ace was fantastic, but she had no idea how people did this full time. Skye wouldn’t call herself ‘maternal,’ after all, who was she to judge what that actually meant? But she liked taking care of people. Even if she hadn’t felt indebted to Mike, and didn’t feel the need to try to make up for the horrors he went through, she was genuinely happy to watch over Ace for a few days. She liked seeing the smile on his face when she told him a funny story or gave him a snack, liked the idea that a simple act from her can make a lonely kid feel special, because God, she knew how much that meant. Skye loved knowing that she was capable of brightening his day.

Because he was helping her out too.

Her return to the Playground coinciding with her picking up Ace was not exactly a coincidence. Skye had wanted to come back, wanted to show her team she was ready to come home for weeks. But, truth be told, she was nervous. Nervous about the looks, the serious talks, the questions. So, in a way, Ace was her sunny little diversion. She made sure to have her reunions with each member of the team, fill them in, but there was no lingering sadness or prying questions about the others or her powers, because _oops_ , she had a kid to take care of.

She would talk to them about it, _she would_. But not yet.

Skye wasn’t worried about control, she wouldn’t have accepted the ‘babysitting’ job if she was. It was actually Mike who made her realize that she could control it. In a way.

Before Skye left the Playground those long months before, Mike had extended the offer that any time she need to talk, she could find him. It was something Skye appreciated, but she still wasn’t sure she’d take him up on it. She was still terrified. All that progress, all that hard work, it would mean nothing if she lost control around someone she cared for. It was finally Lincoln who gave her that last push, when she stopped by to check on the reconstruction. He ended up telling her she would never feel safe controlling herself around someone she cared for again if she avoided them altogether. Wary as she was, considering everything that had happened and his blind dedication to the Afterlife crew, she saw his point. He insisted that she try, which was odd considering how freaking exclusive and closed off they were. Actually encouraging her to communicate with the outside? She would have to take the opportunity before it was taken back. _Even if it means putting someone important to me at risk?_

When she expressed that fear to Lincoln, he looked thoughtful. “It makes sense though, doesn’t it?” He asked her. “If you’re with people you care about, you’ll work even harder to keep them safe, keep control out of necessity.”

He had been right. There were still minor shakes once in a while, but whenever Skye felt like she was going to lose control, Mike asked her to look him in the eye (no pun intended.) She did. _You don’t want to hurt him_ , she told herself, that part of herself that was doing this. _You can’t hurt him._

And she didn’t.

After that she finally felt comfortable, and ready. For her visit with Ace. Her trip home.

***

“Comfortable?”

Skye’s head shot up from the back of the couch. _Almost dozed off there a second._

“We’re watching _Beauty and the Beast_ ,” Ace whispered, not taking his eyes off the laptop. Once again they were in the cozier common room, curled up on one of the couches with Skye’s computer playing the movie on the coffee table in front of them. Coulson nodded, whispering a quiet ‘Ah,’ before looking around the room. He was clearly pretending he came for a different purpose, as he’d done ever since Skye and Ace had arrived.

She wondered if he liked spending time with them, but didn’t want to admit it. Skye had wondered, of course she had. Did Coulson want kids? Had he ever? He seemed to like them, and he was obviously great with them, if a little awkward. Like he wasn’t quite sure how to interact, walking the wobbly line between not wanting to be patronizing and not treating them like adults. Coulson was the kind of guy who would shake a toddler’s hand, to be funny, sure, but also because he had no idea what one is supposed to do when presented with a small child. Skye felt a smile creep across her face, but squashed it.

 _There be dragons_ , she told herself. Looking up to Coulson, who was still standing there, watching the screen, she noticed his jacket was gone, sleeves of his shirt rolled up. Suddenly she wished she had a beer.

“Do you want to watch?” She asked him, making sure not to be too loud and disrupt the clearly engrossed child next to her. Coulson seemed to consider it, and she resigned herself to a ‘no’ when he shrugged and walked around the table to Ace’s other side. The cushions sank a bit with the weight and, getting comfortable, Coulson rested his arm along the back of the couch.

They watched the movie in comfortable silence, and Skye’s awareness of Coulson’s proximity faded into the background. At a particularly scary moment, Ace looped his arm through Skye’s, squeezing her bicep tightly. He didn’t look away from the screen or cover his eyes, putting on a brave face, but Skye could feel the little crescent moons of his fingernails digging into her upper arm. She was fine with it, giving his hand a little pat with her free one before moving it back to the arm rest.

Feeling watched, Skye decided not to look in Coulson’s direction, worried about what she might find there. Things were starting to feel a little intense. _Nothing weird about sharing a nice family movie with your boss you sort of have a crush on and a small child, right?_

Luckily things lightened up considerably, and at a particularly douchey moment of Gaston’s, Ace spoke up.

“He’s gross,” the boy muttered, and Skye smirked. “He can’t make Belle marry him, right?”

 _Oh boy_. “Nah, you can’t do that anymore, it’s kind of a no-no these days,” Skye offered lamely, almost _hearing_ Coulson’s incredulous face.

“But he _could_?” Ace asked, eyes wide with horror.

Coulson looked at Skye, eyebrows raised. ‘ _You’re on your own with this one_ ,’ that face said.

“Well,” Skye started, wondering how exactly to explain archaic marriage practices to an 8-year-old. “Back a long time ago, girls couldn’t decide who to marry, their families did. It was about money, and having lots of family friends. But that doesn’t happen anymore,” she said. “In most cultures anyway.”

Apparently her rueful tone was not missed, because she could feel Coulson staring at her again. Deliberately staring at the screen, Skye curled her feet up on the couch next to her.

Eventually the movie came to an end, and Skye noted with some amusement that Ace had fallen asleep. _For a kid who was so invested_...she thought, wondering if he’d want to watch the parts he missed tomorrow. Careful not to jostle him too much, Skye leaned forward and shut her laptop. On the other side of the couch Coulson stretched his arms, groaning quietly.

“Shhh,” she hushed him jokingly, and he made The Face. The faux-stern, ‘ _really_?’ face. Skye stood, stretching her own arms above her head before looking back down. Coulson seemed to be looking at Ace intently, so she cleared her throat.

“Do you want me to--?” He pointed at Ace, but Skye shook her head. She had this. She’d been working on her arm strength, after all, and it was nice, in a weird way, to know that she could be trusted with something so delicate. _Considering that the last time I was here I couldn’t even trust myself to not bring the entire base down on our heads_. Gently she lifted Ace up into her arms, resting his head on her shoulder.

“Can you grab my laptop?” She whispered to Coulson, and he nodded, picking up that and a couple dishes, including the large plastic popcorn bowl they had demolished.

It wasn’t very late, but the base was surprisingly quiet for a week night. Walking through the halls, they encountered a couple of Simmons’ lab minions, but they were hunched over their documents, not paying any mind to the disheveled Director of SHIELD carrying dirty dishes. Reaching her bunk, Skye laid Ace down on the cot, pulling the blanket over him. It had been a long day, but she was excited for another one. It was easy to be excited when you’re around someone with enthusiasm powered by a dozen small suns. Stepping out of the bunk, Skye closed the door quietly behind her. Coulson was there, laptop under one arm, dishes in another.  If pressed, Skye might say it was exhaustion that did it, or the Disney movie, or the way Coulson had rested his hand lightly on Ace’s back as he let Skye pass him through the doorway to the hall.

But really, it was just that she wanted to. _Had_ wanted to, for longer than even she had known.

As if it came naturally, Skye leaned forward and pressed her lips to Coulson’s, placing one feather-light hand on his chest. About a second or two into it, she noticed his lack of response and pulled back. Coulson’s face was stoic, but his ever-expressive eyes were filled with concern. _Shit_.

“Sorry,” Skye said, her face burning. “I-- I am not sure what--”

“No, no, don’t--it’s fine.” He sighed. “I mean…”

Skye decided to save him the hassle of letting her down. “It’s not fine, I know. Just--nevermind, okay? Let’s just ignore it?”

“Skye,” Coulson began, but she held up a hand.

“Please?”

He nodded, pursing his lips, watching her again. Vaguely Skye wondered if she was wrong back there, in the room. Maybe if she had been brave enough to look at his face, she’d see what was really there.

Worry. Sadness. The very things she hoped to avoid when she returned. That was the lense he saw her through, not--

_Forget about it._

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sir,” Skye said, looking him in the eye. She wasn’t going to cower from this. She was going to pretend it never happened, sure. But she wasn’t going to blush and stammer and cry. She wasn’t going to ruin everything.

After she gestured toward her laptop that was still under his arm, Coulson seemed to snap to attention. He handed it over.

***

After finishing _Beauty and the Beast_ with Ace as soon as they woke up so he’d know what he missed, Skye decided she needed a low-key activity. Luckily Ace was amenable to that, and the two sat at the kitchen table drawing. May had located a few sets of crayons and colored pencils for them, oddly enough, making Skye wonder if the super agent ninja pilot bureaucrat was also an artist. When asked, May merely gave Skye a neutral look before leaving. 

“She’s cool,” Ace whispered, and Skye emphatically agreed. She and May had resumed their morning tai chi sessions before Ace woke up, and Skye actually enjoyed the silence. It was peaceful, although she still wasn’t sure she’d ever completely have the patience for tai chi. May didn’t ask any questions, another virtue, but simply treated Skye normally. Like she always had. At this time in her life, Skye was thriving on normalcy.

“Let me guess, you’re drawing the Avengers,” Skye asked, and Ace nodded. “How ever did I know,” she murmured to herself, noticing something different in his picture that caught her eye.

“Who’s that?” She asked, pointing at a figure he had drawn next to the Hulk. _He’s got prime real estate_ , she noted.

“My dad,” Ace replied cheerfully, and Skye felt like her heart just might swell out of her chest. Mike had only ever wanted to be a hero to his son, and she couldn’t believe he didn’t realize that he always had been.

“And that?” She pointed out another figure she didn’t recognize, between Captain America and Black Widow.

“You, silly.” Ace held up the paper next to her, as if pointing out a clear resemblance. Skye’s eyes widened, and her mouth was suddenly dry.

_Yup, she has my hair alright._

“Why am I…?”

Ace looked at her curiously, pausing before he began to fill in her outfit, which was looking startlingly similar to Black Widow’s. It shouldn’t be surprising, considering Skye was pretty positive she didn’t own a jumpsuit, so he had to improvise. Apparently her own wardrobe wasn’t ‘super’ enough.

“Dad said SHIELD and the Avengers are friends, and you’re going to be one someday, because you’re special.”

 _You’ve got to be kidding me_ , Skye thought, casting her suddenly watered eyes up to the ceiling. _Mike, you jerk_. “Well, your dad has a lot of faith in me, maybe too much.” Smiling, she pointed at the drawing. “Now, we need to discuss my clothes,” Skye told him playfully. “You know more about superheroes than anyone I know, so I’m going to trust you to design me a killer superhero outfit. Can you do that?”

Ace’s face grew serious and attentive, and he nodded.

“Excellent.”

***

“You know, sitting here in silence with me isn’t going to solve your problems,” May said, interrupting Phil’s stream of depressing thoughts. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes as May sifted through the stack of SSR files they were hoping to narrow down. The base was full of them, and while they were all incredibly interesting and historic (well, most of them. A good portion,) they were going to need to keep only the relevant ones on hand if they didn’t plan on flooding his office with stacks of paper. He and May did the initial look through, while putting aside a pile he would have Skye file into the toolbox database.  

 _Skye_.

He had screwed up. Maybe. He wasn’t sure yet. At first, he thought Skye kissing him was out of the blue, completely coming from left field. But after a night of lying awake and examining his own behavior since she came back, Coulson came to the solid conclusion that he was an idiot.

He had gotten caught up in the little fantasy, that was all. It was silly, really, because there had never really been a pressing need for him to have a family. He had considered it with Audrey, as you do in adult relationships, but figured they would just talk about it eventually, further down the line. Then she decided to move to Portland, and the discussion never happened.

He wasn’t sure what had gotten into him. Maybe it was Skye’s long departure, or seeing that little boy who loved and missed his father. A father that was trying his damndest to be good enough for him. Phil didn’t see himself as a particularly father-ly person, but it was easy to get caught up in playing house. Watching a movie together, eating breakfast ( _With banana slice smiley faces_ ,) and getting away from the SHIELD lifestyle in minute episodes. It was easy to dive in and play the role for a bit.

So Skye had gotten the wrong idea.

 _Right_?

She had simply gotten swept up in it too. She and Coulson were similar in that they didn’t have family, not anymore, barring the occasional violent lunatic. Maybe deep down they both craved that familial stability, so when given a chance to act like a little nuclear family, they took it.

_She couldn’t really want that, after all. Not with--_

“Do you need to talk?” May called out to Coulson. “I’m sure I can find someone to listen to you.”

He shook his head, dropping a folder onto the desk. “I need a break.” He stood, noting May’s raised eyebrows. “Lunch. Want anything?” May shook her head, continuing to look through the folders.

“I’m sitting this one out,” May muttered, not looking up.

“Great, good talk,” Coulson said as he walked out, pinching the bridge of his nose. He stopped. “May--”

“Go eat, Phil.”

Taking the hint that wasn’t really a hint, Coulson sighed and walked out of the office.

Heading down the hall, Coulson heard voices in the kitchen. It was Skye and Ace, of course. Taking a moment to brace himself in the doorway, preparing to _Just act normal_ , he caught the beginnings of what sounded like a very interesting conversation.

“Why aren’t you married?” Ace asked, and Coulson heard Skye choke a bit. He decided it would probably be best to give it a minute before walking in. For Skye’s sake.

***

“Excuse me?” Skye asked Ace, her eyes wide.

“Why don’t you have a husband or anything?” He looked up from his drawing now, curious.

“I’m not that much older than you, you know,” Skye said, knowing that yes, yes she was. “Why aren’t _you_ married?” Ace wrinkled his nose distastefully. “Exactly,” Skye said, pointing at him with her coffee before taking a sip.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

_And again with the questions._

“I do not,” Skye told him, “I don’t have time for a boyfriend, so I definitely don’t have time for a husband.” The complexities of forming relationships while working at an underground organization and having super powers were unsurprisingly hard to explain to an 8-year-old. “Being special can be a good thing, but it can also make people not be super nice to you, you know?” Ace nodded. He knew. “Plus, I travel a lot and go on scary missions, and I live here, now, again, which as you probably noticed is kind of a top-secret base. I’m way too much work, no one would want to marry me now.”

“No one wants to marry you?” He asked, sounding shocked. Skye raised an eyebrow. “But you’re cool, and you’re going to be an Avenger.”

“Tell me about it, kid.” Skye put her coffee on the counter, thinking. There were some portions of her brief return to Afterlife (or what had been Afterlife,) she had refrained from talking about with anyone, just because in the grand scheme of things, they didn’t seem that big of a deal. _But since you asked_. “Someone wanted to marry me, actually.” Ace stopped what he was doing and put his pencil down.

“Who?” His eyes were wide, and Skye had to feel a little enjoyment at the fact that this little boy seemed so invested in romance. The jaded foster kid in her wondered if it might have to do with his own parents, and their split. She pushed that thought away.

_The least I can do is entertain him, right?_

“A boy I met a few months ago. He...knew my mom,” she tried to explain. Again, some of these concepts? Not meant for young minds. _How do parents do this?_ Sure, her life had a few complications normal parents wouldn’t have to explain, but still. “It was really important for his...family, and mine, that he marry someone like him.”

“He was special too?” Ace asked, and she nodded.

“Yup.”

“Did something happen to him? Why aren’t you married?” He turned fully in his chair, looking awfully concerned for someone his age.

“No, he’s fine, I just didn’t want to marry him,” Skye reassured him. “He wasn’t the guy for me, plus I only knew him like, two months at that point, so that was weird.”

“Was he like Gaston?” The little boy asked her, frowning, and she smiled.

“No, he wasn’t nearly as quick, slick, or _ick_ as Gaston,” she joked, “and his neck was normal sized.” Ace laughed, and returned to his drawing. Just as she was about to sigh in relief--

“You should marry Phil.”

_He said, so matter-of-factly._

“What?”

“ _Phil_ ,” he told her, as if it was obvious. “He lives here too, and goes on missions with you, and he likes that you’re special.”

Skye felt her eyebrows shoot up under her bangs. “Oh really? And how do you know that?”

Ace looked at her, sly, then down at his paper. “He looks at you funny, it’s gross.” Skye couldn’t help it, she laughed. He just looked so disturbed.

 _How long was he watching Coulson?_ The amusement faded however, as she now had to wonder what face he was _actually_ making. Because it sounded like Ace had misinterpreted Coulson’s expressions just as much as she had.

“AC doesn’t want to marry me,” Skye explained, grimacing at how childish she sounded. _But I’m speaking to a child, so_... “He’s just worried, that’s why he keeps looking at me funny.”

“Why is he worried about you? You’re fine, right?”

Skye reached over, pinching his cheek lightly. “Yes, I’m fine, so many questions from you today!” The boy giggled, pulling away and jumping off of his chair.

“Don’t pinch!” He yelled, running out the kitchen door into the hallway. Skye heard him gasp, then stumble a bit.

“Ace?” Standing up she jogged to the door, just in time to catch Coulson setting Ace upright, lifting him gently by the shoulders.

“Whoopsy-daisy,” Coulson muttered, looking him over. “You okay?” Ace nodded, and Coulson looked up to Skye. “You guys playing tag?” He asked a little too casually, and Skye narrowed her eyes.

 _How long…?_ She sighed, then looked down at Ace. “No running around when we’re in the base, okay? It’s dangerous.” He looked thoroughly chastened. “If you’re not careful you might break Agent Coulson’s hip.” It was a cheap shot, she knew, and pretty undeserved. But Coulson was a big boy, he could take care of himself. _Especially if he’s been eavesdropping._

“Can I go see Fitz?” Ace asked, seeing the engineer turn a corner at the end of the hall.

“Sure,” Skye told him, calling out “No running!” as he booked it.

“Kids,” Coulson offered, and Skye rolled her eyes. “Skye, I think we should talk.” He sounded serious, and Skye kind of wanted to run after Ace.

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” she responded, heading toward her bunk. “I’m going to spar with May,” she told him, pausing when he placed a hand on her arm.

“May is working on some filing,” he told her, then frowned. “That’s not the point. About last night-”

“Oh god, we are not having this conversation,” Skye muttered. “Look, it’s fine, I get it. I miscalculated, that’s not what you were going for. But we don’t need to drag this out because it’s getting really embarrassing.” If she was going to return to SHIELD full time, Skye wasn’t sure she could handle this. She could handle Coulson rejecting her, she was an adult. But she didn’t think she would be able to cope with him talking about it all the time.

“Skye, if you’ll just listen--”

She couldn’t. That old familiar feeling started to emerge, the feeling of needing to run, or throw something, or yell at someone. It had always been something she struggled with, internalizing everything when all she really wanted to do (all the time, really) was give someone else a piece of her mind. Holding back was not a strength of hers, and whereas before it was just frustrating, with her recent developments it became dangerous.

 _I’m not going to lose contro_ l, she told herself, _I’m not._

_But if this guy doesn’t stop talking…_

Suddenly Skye grabbed Coulson by the shoulders, shoving him against the wall. Closing her eyes to his startled face, she kissed him. She kissed him with all of her anger and frustration, with an ugly desire to channel all of her embarrassment into embarrassing him. She told him she didn’t want to talk about it, she tried to tell him she understood so they could just walk away from it. But he wouldn’t just let it go.

He’s the one who wouldn’t let her ignore it.

He’s the one who kept pushing.

He’s the one who didn’t want her.

 _So why are his hands_ \-- Skye pulled away abruptly. He’d been kissing her back. “What the hell?” She stared at him, feeling like she had been burned. Coulson stared back at her, lips red, breathing heavily.

“Why did you--”

“ _You weren’t supposed to like it_!” Skye hissed at him, “I was trying to make a point!” Coulson stopped her, pulling her in for another kiss, one hand on the back of her neck, the other wrapped low around her back. It went on for a little longer, a kiss that was more like an argument, before he pulled away.

“So am I,” he told her, “you wouldn’t let me finish what I was saying.”

Skye was baffled. Seeing he had apparently stunned her into silence, Coulson leaned in again.

“Hold on,” Skye said, pulling her head away. _As nice as the kissing part is_ …The director made a quiet whining noise that on anyone else would be pathetic, but with him it nearly made Skye rethink her decision to pull away. “Now would be an opportune time for you to finish talking, don’t you think?”

Coulson leaned back, exhaling loudly. “I just needed some time to--” Skye decided she’d heard enough, shoving him against the wall again and covering his stupid mouth with her own. This time he responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist and opening his mouth under hers. Moving blindly sideways, Coulson yanked the door to the hall closet open and ushering Skye inside. Closing the door behind them, it was his turn to press Skye into the wall, swallowing the surprised grunt she let out at the impact.

Skye had to admit it: she was okay with where this conversation went. Feeling Coulson’s teeth scrape her bottom lip, she realized she needed more. Wrapping one leg around Coulson’s hip, she gave him time to take the hint, which he did pretty quickly. _Smart boy_. Coulson grabbed Skye’s butt and lifted her off the ground, letting her wrap both legs around his waist.

“There we go,” Skye breathed, pulling him back in. She could feel it-- _him_ \--pressing against her, and Skye wondered if this is where it was going to happen. In a storage closet, in the Playground. She didn’t hate the idea, especially not with whatever he was doing to her neck. But before she had time to even contemplate removing clothes, she and Coulson were both startled out of their daze as a deafening crashing noise echoed down the hall.

 _That wasn’t_ … Alarmed, Skye looked at the shelves around them, wondering if the excitement had brought on a quake. _That wasn’t an emotion I had to worry about before._ But nothing in the room had moved.

“That wasn’t you, right?” Coulson asked her, sounding very director-ly as he cast his eyes to the door. The return of ‘Director Coulson’ was especially weird, considering his hands were still gripping her ass and his hair was still bearing the effects of Skye running her fingers through it.

Usually it wasn’t her bag, but Skye thought she might like him taking on a little authoritative Director Mode in the bedr-- _Focus, Skye_. If it wasn’t her, where had the noise come from?

Skye felt her ears begin to ring a bit, and as she looked at Coulson in horror, she saw the same realization in his eyes.

It came from the garage.

***

Skye rapped her fingertips on the armrest, staring. Next to her, Coulson sat in his own chair, brow furrowed sternly. Skye crossed her arms. “Do you have _any_ idea how dangerous that was?” She asked, still feeling her heart beating in her throat. Coulson was silent, but Skye didn’t envy the one on the receiving end of the face he was making. “Lola is not a toy,” she said, not letting the big brown eyes in front of her sway her resolve.

“To be fair, you’re the ones who let him play with a toy model of an actual car,” Hunter argued, determinedly not looking at the icy director. Unfortunately for him, he’d soon find out that pleading his case with Skye was not going to be any help. “I mean, really, it even has all the same buttons and switches. And keys in the ignition, Director?” He looked at Coulson now. “Really?”

From his spot on Skye’s other side, Ace looked at Hunter pityingly. “I’m sorry,” he said in almost a whisper, and Skye immediately turned to him.

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” she told him emphatically, rubbing a hand on his arm. “We should have known better, we’re the grown ups here.”

Skye never thought Coulson would be so thankful Lola wasn’t in full working condition, but it was clear as day on his face when they came upon the scene. Expecting the ‘funny noise,’ Ace had gotten quite the surprise when the thrusters kicked in. Luckily Hunter -- _Idiot_ \--managed to keep both of them in the car when she flew up in the air ten or so feet before falling back to the ground.

“I know you said the car flew, but come on, of course I thought you were messing with me.”

_Is he still talking?_

“And Heckle and Jeckle over there in the lab, so proud of their ‘exact replica’ of the car. Not quite exact, is it?”

“You let an 8-year old _start a car_ ,” Skye shot back, incredulous.

“Oh please, when I was his age I was practically my parents’ chauffeur.”

Coulson leaned forward, still silent.

“Okay, not completely accurate.” He looked to Skye, who raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, okay? It was stupid, I am a monster. Can we all just let it go now?” Hunter sighed, rubbing his face. “How about I take him to the kitchen and get some ice cream, yeah? I hear kids love ice cream.”

“ _You_ ate ice cream yesterday. At 11 am,” Coulson finally chimed in.

_About food. Typical._

“It was essentially noon, for all intents and purposes, and if you must know, I had a particularly rough day. Bobbi and I--”

“Okay go get ice cream,” Skye interrupted, not wanting to hear about Hunter and Bobbi’s personal issues. “Sound good to you buddy?” She looked at Ace, who for his part looked cautiously excited. He was a smart kid, he knew that something serious had happened.

“Is Phil’s car going to be okay?”

Skye looked over to Coulson. He sighed, then stood up before kneeling down to Ace’s eye level. “The car is fine,” he told him. It was simple, but there was always something about Coulson’s voice that made you believe him. “Why don’t you get some ice cream with Agent Hunter?” The boy nodded, and Hunter sighed audibly in relief. Just as he headed out the door, Coulson stopped him. “Oh, and Hunter? I _will_ be informing Mr. Peterson about this.” Hunter paled a bit, but placed a hand on Ace’s shoulder.

“Mum and Dad are strict, aren’t they?”

“Skye and Phil are _your parents_?”

Hunter looked up at the aforementioned pair. “Oh this is going to be fantastic,” he muttered, before gleefully shutting the door behind him.

***

Phil watched the door close and shook his head lightly. Turning around, he watched Skye sigh deeply, then sink in her chair.

“You doing okay?”

Her response was to let out an even heavier sigh, before sinking so low in her chair she soon slid onto the floor. Coulson chuckled as she threw her arm over her eyes. “I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest,” she muttered. Removing the arm from her face, she looked up at Coulson from the floor. “How can anyone possibly have kids without spontaneously combusting all the time?”

Phil shrugged. “Not my area of expertise,” he admitted. He wasn’t sure how parents did it either. Especially those in organizations like SHIELD, who must be worried constantly. It added this entirely new element of stress to Mike Peterson’s situation: he removed himself to keep his son safe and happy, but he must think about him all the time. He must wonder if Ace is doing okay, wonder if he’s getting into any trouble. It sounded terrifying and exhausting, so much so that he followed Skye’s lead and laid down on the floor next to her. (In a more dignified way, but still.)

Skye turned her head to face him, amused. “You too, huh?”

Phil smiled back. “Uh huh.” He watched her then, eyes trailing over her face, suddenly remembering ‘ _Oh yeah, we nearly had sex in a closet 30 minutes ago_.’ _Who am I kidding, I haven’t stopped thinking about it._ He watched Skye watch him for a bit before carefully leaning in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

They kissed languidly for a little while, and he pulled her to him. The rug in his office wasn’t exactly cozy or super clean, and he could feel it scratching the side of his face, and the exposed skin of his wrist where he had insinuated his hand between Skye’s waist and the floor. He couldn’t bring himself to care, though.

He was understandably occupied.

Feeling Skye press a hand to his chest, he pulled back a bit. His other hand that wasn’t currently trapped combed through her hair. Skye opened her mouth to speak, before closing it thoughtfully.

“What?” Phil’s hand trailed down from her hair, running down her neck lightly, eliciting a shiver. Shooting him a look, Skye grabbed the hand with her own, absentmindedly stroking his palm with her thumb.

“We’ve been making out in really weird places. You realize that, right?” Coulson frowned.

“Not that weird,” he said defensively, “has it been that weird?” Skye raised her eyebrows.

“The making out itself? Not weird. Just like, I don’t know, think we could do this somewhere that feels a little less…”

_Desperate? Sloppy? Hurried? Like it might not happen again?_

“I’m sorry I can’t plan my feelings, Skye,” Phil said, sighing melodramatically. “Besides, if we get somewhere nice you might have time to reconsider.”

She made a face. “Um, excuse me? You’re the one who got all freaked out the first time, if either of us is going to reconsider it would probably be you.” She leaned up on one elbow, and Coulson used the move to swiftly pull her over until she was lying on top of him. Skye let out a startled laugh.

“That was just me trying to figure it out,” Coulson explained, tucking a strand of Skye’s hair behind her ear. “You just surprised me.”

“I surprised Mr. Expert profiler? I really am impressive,” Skye preened, before crossing her arms on Coulson’s chest and resting her chin there. “The view is also quite impressive, Sir.” Coulson scoffed, but saw Skye’s face become serious. “Look, I know we’ve been kind of, fooling around, in more ways than one, but you need to know that this isn’t just...this isn’t a game for me.”

Phil swallowed heavily. “No, not for me either.” It had taken him time, but not out of doubt about his feelings for Skye. _Just about hers for me_ , he thought ruefully, knowing it would be wise to never mention that to Skye. She hated it when people underestimated her.

“Well, good,” Skye said, moving one hand to adjust his tie. “So we’re both invested in this, then.”

“Very invested,” Coulson agreed, tugging her down gently for another kiss. Marveling at the fact that he was able to do this, and that Skye was apparently very skilled with her tongue, he almost didn’t hear the office door open. Almost.

“Oh, well then.” Coulson and Skye both looked up quickly to see a very wide-eyed Hunter and Ace standing in the doorway.

“Gross what are you doing?” Ace asked, looking appalled. Hunter looked between the two of them, clearing his throat.

“Well it looks like they’re working on giving me a little brother or sister--”

“We’re not your parents, Hunter,” Skye shouted. She didn’t give up her spot though, so Phil decided he was in no rush to move. Hunter would need a talking to, certainly, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. The more dignified choice here was to simply try to blend into the carpet as far as he was concerned.

“I would hope not, this would be a very traumatizing thing for a child to walk in on, wouldn’t it?” Skye groaned, then visibly pulled herself together. “Ace, Phil and I are practicing combat techniques,” she said sweetly, sitting up. Coulson was unable to stifle a groan as Skye sat in a very precarious position, but he was able to turn it into one that resembled pain.

“Yep, she won,” Phil ground out, looking properly defeated. “She might have _broken my hip_ ,” he muttered accusingly, and Skye rolled her eyes.

“Okay,” Ace said slowly, not looking entirely convinced, but like he might just decide to believe them for his own fragile psyche.

_It doesn’t look that bad, does it?_

Skye stood then, holding out a hand to pull Coulson upright. “Are you hungry?” She asked Ace, as if nothing had happened. “Wanna get a burger?” At the prospect of food, the boy’s eyes widened.

“He didn’t have any ice cream,” Ace responded, and Skye clicked her tongue.

“Lying to a child, Agent Hunter? Shame on you.” She reached over and grabbed Ace’s hand, heading out of the office. “You coming, Director?” She called out behind her, and Coulson smiled at Hunter amiably.

“Yeah, I think I’ll join you.” As he walked by, the British agent grabbed his arm lightly.

“You know, if you’re interested in buying my silence, I’m very cheap,” he murmured, and Coulson nodded.

“I’m sure you are.” Phil followed Ace and Skye down the stairs. Smiling contentedly, he walked slowly behind them, listening to their chipper conversation.

“My dad used to take me to this place that had burgers _and_ milkshakes, can we go to one of those?”

“Duh, is there any other kind?”

Skye turned around to look at Phil, eyes widening in surprise when she saw his face. He wasn't sure what face he was making at that moment, but as he saw the look in her eyes as she smiled at him, he had a pretty good idea. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I can't help it, parental Skye and Coulson were just a cute little image in my head that wouldn't go away. And I'm not a big fan of featuring child actors, but I wouldn't hate seeing more of Ace Peterson. ESPECIALLY now that we've seen Mike again. I didn't know that was in the cards when I started this.  
> Good luck tomorrow night everyone! HAHA SOB.


End file.
